


The Asset and Potty Training

by Introvertatheart



Series: The Asset's New Life [28]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, New Neighbors, potty training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22139335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Introvertatheart/pseuds/Introvertatheart
Summary: In order for Bucky to go to school, he must be potty trained. Steve knows it's going to be a lengthy process, especially with trauma involved but he's willing to make sure Bucky knows everything is okay for him to go.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: The Asset's New Life [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1343575
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	The Asset and Potty Training

**Author's Note:**

> Bootstrap's request is in the making. Other requests are welcomed.

When Steve first mentioned potty training to Bucky, he hated the idea. He had to be potty trained so he could go to school. They only had two months to work on this and Steve needed to at least get Bucky sitting on the toliet.

Steve didn't know if Bucky had any trauma towards the toliet but they had to test those waters before they jumped in.

Then he heard an odd noise, a dumping noise.

"Bucky bear?" Said Steve looking in the living room. Bucky had managed to dump all the toys on the floor. They had just got home yesterday, the heat was fixed but they learned that their neighbor had unfortunately passed away the day after Christmas. A new, not really, elderly couple had moved in after New Years and Steve could instantly tell things they were going to have problems. They went to meet them yesterday, they looked at Harley and made a disgusted face.

They didn't like big dogs or dogs at all. They weren't crazy cat people, but they hated Harley. And Steve quickly learned they hated loud noise. When Bucky had a tantrum, they hit the walls yelling shut up. Steve tried to talk to them and tell them that Bucky has a mental illness and he's mentally two years old, they didn't care. They just wanted him to stop.

Steve gave up on trying to reason with them, but he had a feeling they won't be staying for very long.

Back to the other issue at hand.

"Play, daddy?" 

"A little later, can we try potty training?" Bucky shook his head. Potty training sounded scary. It also meant change that he didn't want.

"I think we should. Come on." Steve picked him up and went to the bathroom.

"That's the potty, so instead of going in your diaper, you go here." Said Steve. Bucky stared at the toliet.

"Can you sit down on it?" Bucky shook his head, Steve set him on his feet. Bucky sat on the floor. Steve sighed and put him on the closed toilet seat.

"No." Bucky instantly began to shake.

"It's okay. Just sit there for a minute." Bucky shook his head then he hit his leg. That was new.

"What's wrong?"

"NO! NO! NO!" Bucky screamed, he was hitting his legs again. Steve held his hands and walked out the bathroom.

"It's alright, you're doing so good." Steve wanted to say so many colorful words about Hydra. But held his tongue. Bucky slowly calmed down as Steve rocked him. There was trauma towards the toilet. He quickly texted Rumlow about anything he may know about it.

"Bucky, did Hydra do anything when you had to use the bathroom?"

"Hurt. Hurt."

"They hurt you. Thank you for telling me. Do you still want to play?" Bucky nodded. He played with Bucky for a while then he got a call. Rumlow.

"I'll be right back." He went in the kitchen and answered.

"Starting potty training already?" Asked Rumlow.

"Yeah and he's absolutely terrified of it. What happened?"

"From what I've heard, whenever he was in his cell or on a long mission they had like puppy pads under him. As for the toilet, when he had to go they made sit by the toliet and whip his legs whenever he begged to go. If he wet himself, they still beat him and left him soaked."

"That's why he's hitting his legs. That's an extra step we have to get over but I need to get him comfortable sitting on it first."

"Good luck with that. It didn't take long for him to stop asking to use the bathroom. He might need more than two months to get used to it."

"Yeah, there has to be a way to let him know it's okay."

"You'll figure it out. He's a smart boy. Keep me updated." Rumlow hung up which was a little rude. But now he knew there was trauma towards the toliet and now he had to figure out a way to get Bucky to understand that the toilet was safe. 

As Bucky played, Steve did research on toilet training. Some methods looked like they could work. The only method that could probably work on him is using candy whenever he made progress. But before he made that move, he had to make sure Bucky knew when his body's signals to go.

"Hey Bucky, do you know when you have to go? Like does your body tell you it has to go?" Bucky tilted his head. Steve didn't know how to make this understandable to a two year old. So to ease up on a lecture, Steve showed him a bunch of videos from Sesame Street about the bathroom. And while he did that, he did a little math in his head.

Bucky was usually wet two or three hours after drinking milk. He was wet when he woke up in the morning and after nap time. So if Steve could get Bucky in the bathroom two hours after he drank milk, he might just be able to get a schedule figured out.

Once Bucky finished watching the videos, he looked at Steve a little confused.

"Does that sound something like we can try?"

"Daddy, stay?"

"Yeah, I'll be there to help you. Can we try to sit on the toilet again?" Bucky shook his head. Steve got up and went in his room. He got a bag of M&M's, hopefully this will work.

"How about some candy?" Bucky looked at him. He liked candy. Steve gave a piece, Bucky never had M&M's, mainly because Steve kept the bag hidden from him, but he liked it.

"More, please?"

"You have to try to sit on the toilet first, come on." That seemed to persuade him. He got up and went to the bathroom. Bucky stared at the toliet then started to cry.

"It's alright, you're doing so good." Steve gave him another piece of chocolate. Bucky settled a little, but Steve could see that trauma was hunting him. 

"Okay, let's sit down and talk about it." They sat on the ground, it wasn't a good idea. The bathroom was small, just big enough for one super soldier. Not big enough for two super soldiers and a super size dog. Maybe it was time for a change. 

"Alright, I know when you were with Hydra, they didn't let you use the bathroom. But you're not with them any more and you can use the potty whenever you need to."

"Hurt."

"I know they hurt you. But you won't be hurt here. Do you remember the tingle?"

"Potty?"

"Yeah, when your body is full of liquid, it has to come out. So your body tells you that you need to go potty. When you get that tingling feeling you come here and sit down. Can you go sit on there?" Bucky slowly got up, he looked at Steve with fearful eyes then back to the toilet. Steve rubbed his back and then he sat on the toilet.

"Good job, I'm so proud of you." Steve gave him two candies, Bucky smiled. He was still scared, but it was progress. 

"That's all we're going to do for now, I just need you to get comfortable with sitting on it. I don't think that'll be as much as an issue as actually getting you to use it." Steve picked him up and carried him to the living room.

"More?" There was only two pieces left, so why not? Steve was glad Bucky was being so brave. He just needed to keep this up every time they went to the bathroom. 

Later that day, Steve helped Nat via cell phone to navigate their next mission. It was going well until Bucky decided to become a drummer. Steve had left the pots and pans out to dry, Bucky started to tap on them then it escalated to full hand hitting. 

While it was cute, it just didn't need to happen right now.

"Bucky, can you stop for just five minutes please?" Said Steve. Bucky stared at him then hit the pot again. Steve sighed, then someone hit the wall.

"SHUT UP!" Yelled the neighbor. Bucky froze he got up and laid on the couch next to Steve. Steve got a little upset that he had been forced to stop. He was tempted to tell Bucky to just make as much noise as he wants, but they didn't need to get into an argument about it. 

"Daddy?"

"Yes, buddy?" Said Steve moving the phone from his ear.

"Tingles." He pointed to his stomach.

"Tingles? Oh, tingles. Nat, I'll call you back." He hung up and brought Bucky to the bathroom. He sat him on the toilet seat. Bucky squirmed, his eyes were become glossy. He hit his legs but Steve held his hands.

"Are the tingles gone?" Bucky nodded.

"Good, that means your starting to recognize when your body has to go. Now, how about we fix a snack and finish the day with a movie?" Bucky nodded again and followed Steve out the bathroom, they went in the kitchen and warmed up chicken soup and crackers. 

Steve finished his phone call with Nat and they watched an old movie. The soup ended up being their dinner, Bucky played with the pots and pans while he cleaned. This time Steve gave him a wooden spoon. It may have been cruel because the neighbors didn't like it, but Steve could care less. Bucky's smile mattered more.

"Alright, Bucky, pills than bath time." Said Steve taking the pots and pans away. Steve gave him his pills then they went to the bathroom. 

"Tingle."

"Okay, sit down." Bucky shook his head, Steve quickly got a bag of candy and gave him a piece. "It's okay, you just need to sit down." Bucky backed away from the toilet and hit his legs. Steve gave him another piece of candy. Bucky looked at him then slowly went to the toilet and sat.

"Good job, Bucky. You're doing so good." Steve didn't have him take off the diaper, he just needed Bucky to sit on the toilet and recognize the feeling.

"Tingle gone." Said Bucky.

"Good. I'm so proud of you. It's going to take a while, but soon you'll be able to use the bathroom and use pull ups."

"Ups?" He pointed to the diaper.

"No, these are diapers. Pull ups don't hold as much as the diapers, so when you go; you'll be more tempted to use the potty. But we still have a ways to go before we can get to pull ups." Steve undressed him and got him in the tub. Bucky played with his toys and patted Steve's chest. Then heard yelling.

"STOP YOUR YAPPING!"

"I DO WHAT I WANT!" Yelled the couple next to them. Steve sighed, this was getting ridiculous. These walls were thin, but the noise level was getting out of control.

"Mad?" Asked Bucky.

"They're mad at each other apparently. Ignore them." Steve took him out the tub and got him dressed. The couple was still arguing and he had a feeling they won't be stopping. He texted his landlord, he replied he'll talk to them. The couple has been here over two weeks now, that's more than enough time to know that everyone on the floor was going to bed by a certain time.

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Tingles, sleep?"

"What happens if you get the tingles when you sleep?" Bucky nodded.

"Well Buck, your body knows when it's asleep. So it may or may not wake you up because you have to go. But the seizure pills make you sleep through the night, so we might have to keep you in diapers during the night." Bucky stared at him and chewed on his fingers. Steve took his fingers out his mouth and put his paci in.

After a few minutes, Bucky fell asleep. But Steve could still hear his neighbors and Steve was not a heavy sleeper. He got up slowly and went to their door and knocked.

"Who is it?"

"Your neighbor, can we talk please?" Steve heard the door being unlocked then opened the door.

"What do you want?" Said the woman rudely.

"Can you keep the noise down please? I have a two year old asleep and I'm trying to sleep."

"What is with you people, you're the fourth person to ask us that. We aren't that loud."

"Ma'am you are. These walls are thin and the people next to you and below you can hear everything."

"I heard when you hitting pans earlier, I should get the law on you for making so much noise."

"Ma'am I have a two year old. The people below me and the people who lived here knew that and they didn't mind. Look all I'm asking is for yelling to stop so we can sleep. There's no reason for the police to get involved."

"Whatever." She closed the door. Steve sighed and went back to his apartment.

"Daddy?" Steve quickly went back in the bedroom. Bucky was somewhat awake. Steve got back in bed with him.

"I'm here. Go back to sleep." Bucky snuggled onto his chest and gripped his shirt. He wasn't going anywhere for a while. Luckily, the loud neighbors have seemed to stop screaming at each other for the night.

"Daddy?" Steve groaned and woke up to two blue eyes staring back at him.

"Good morning, Bucky? You're usually not up before me unless something is wrong. You okay?"

"Tingles."

"Oh, do you want to try the potty again?" Bucky somewhat nodded. Steve smiled and brought him to the bathroom and sat him on the toilet. 

"Tingles, gone." 

"Good job, Buck. I know you're expecting candy but how about breakfast as a reward?" Bucky frowned but nodded.

As the week went on, potty training was going on as expected. Bucky will say he has tingles and he'll sit on the toilet with his diaper on until it was gone. Bucky refused to take it off, but Steve just wanted to focus on him recognizing the need to go and that he won't be hurt for trying to use it. Occasionally, there'll be a setback with him violently hitting his legs and refusing to be near the toilet but they always walked through it and took each step at Bucky's pace. But Steve had hope that Bucky would be ready for pull ups before his birthday.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not have children or younger siblings, so I have never went through the potty training process. I'm sorry if this seems this process is wrong, I did research and tried to form it around Bucky's trauma.


End file.
